According to Chief Ben Mickuleit, the Fire Board decided to be pro-active by getting ahead of potential growth on Pine Island with a five-year plan for the district. Areas affected by this plan include rebuilding Station 2 in St. James City, having Advanced Life Support on each of the trucks, additional staffing and replacing aged equipment. “Our biggest goal is to provide better service for the community,” said Mickuleit. “Our stations throughout the district are perfectly placed to provide the best response times to the community.”
Part of this service, he said, is taking the trucks from Basic Life Support to ALS, in order to render aid faster and more efficiently. Currently, if there is a serious medical call in Bokeelia, the closest ambulance is coming from Station 1, at The Center, providing it’s not already out on another call. During season, when the district gets multiple calls, often the unit has to come all the way from Burnt Store or even Cape Coral.